This blog will chronicle my views on what is going on in the sports world, and any other random thoughts I think worthy of writing down. Hope you enjoy!

Friday, June 26, 2009

NBA Draft and Trade Analysis

What a crazy day it was both in and out of the sports world. As everyone probably knows by now, Michael Jackson passed away yesterday at the age of 50. While I love his music and recognize him as one of the true legends in music history, I can't really say that I am sad he is gone. It really is more tragic than sad, because of all the things that have gone on in his life. It's confusing to me that everyone said he was a child molester and freak for the last two decades but now claims to be his biggest fan. Society confuses the hell out of me. Anyway, I wrote a long tangent on how I really feel, but realize this isn't the right time. One thing is for sure, we will probably never ever see anyone like him again, for better or worse.

Last night was the NBA Draft and truthfully the trades that happened this week were more exciting than anything that happened at Madison Square. The Cavs getting Shaq will definitely make them better, but not push them over the top. They still need an athletic forward who can score and defend the 4 position. What a life Shaq has. People always said Kobe couldn't win without Shaq, but can Shaq win without a Hall of Fame Guard? The Magic getting Vince Carter from the Nets was a great move I think. With HedoTurkoglu potentially opting out of his contract they need someone to fill that void. If Turkoglu stays, the Magic will be almost impossible to stop.

If you asked me yesterday, I would've said the Wizards made a good trade getting Randy Foye and Mike Miller for Etan Thomas, scrubs, and the #5 pick. However, when Ricky Rubio dropped to #5 last night I couldn't help but think how potentially devastating this could be if Rubio turns out to be great. Here's the thing, the Wizards will be better with Foye and Miller but not great. With Rubio they could've been worse or potentially great in a few years. The NBA Draft is a gamble and if you are a Wizards fan you have to hope Rubio doesn't turn into the next Steve Nash. I also really like the Spurs trade for Richard Jefferson. This puts them right back in contention in the West if Ginobli stays healthy. Also, for all the idiots who booed Hansbrough last night I bet you he is at least a top 8 player in this draft. The fact is he won't ever be a star but he'll be a solid bench guy for 10 years, and how many players can you say that about. Seriously, how many players actually pan out in the draft to be even decent players in the NBA. Like one analyst said, he is the "comfort food" of the draft.

That brings me to my final point. Everyone has really hated on this draft as being one of the worst in years. Maybe it is, but no one really knows how good or bad a draft is until about 3 years down the road. Did anyone know Paul Pierce would be the NBA Finals MVP when he was drafted by the Celtics. Hell, even Michael Jordan wasn't predicted to be anything better than a really good player, who "couldn't carry a team." In this day and age it seems we have to rate everything immediately. We see a close game and claim it to be the best ever. We see a draft and rate it as the worst in 10 years. As sports fans we have lost all patience. What is the use in rating drafts anyway, everything will pan out like it is supposed to. Does anyone truly know if Ricky Rubio will be good or not? Does anyone know if any of these guys will be good? The only real sure thing I can ever remember in a draft was Lebron. Most of these guys are so young anyway that it will take at least a few years to develop. Plus the fact that a lot of the top guys are put on horrible teams scews how good they really are or can be. But is is all in fun in the end. Arguing about sports is not a science. It is all opinion and that is why we love it.